The top reported proficiency rate is 31% in English language arts. The lowest is 17% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on J. O. Combs Middle School
J. O. Combs Middle School serves seventh and eighth graders in the J.O. Combs Unified School District, a regular public school in San Tan Valley. The school is set in one of the fastest-growing parts of Pinal County, an unincorporated bedroom community roughly an hour southeast of Phoenix that recently voted to incorporate as a city. Families who live here are used to long commutes, car-dependent streets, and subdivisions with no traditional downtown. The school campus itself functions as a community anchor in a place where civic centers are minimal.
Student composition is mixed. White students make up close to half the enrollment, and Hispanic students account for roughly two-fifths, with smaller shares of students who are Black, Native American, multiracial, or Asian. The school serves a mid-sized enrollment for a middle school, and the district as a whole is growing along with the community. Data on the share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, as well as counts of students who receive special education services or are English learners, were not available in the profile.
State assessment results give a clear picture of academic performance. On the 2024-25 Arizona academic assessments, roughly a fifth of seventh graders and a fifth of eighth graders scored proficient in math. In English language arts, about a quarter of seventh graders and a third of eighth graders scored proficient. On the eighth-grade science assessment, roughly a fifth of students scored proficient. When combined across subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index placed it below the midpoint among Pinal County districts. There is only one year of data available for these assessments, so a reader cannot assess trend from these results alone. A parent may want to ask the school about how these numbers compare to prior years and what supports are in place for students who are not yet at proficiency.
The school's grade span is seventh and eighth grade only, which means there are no graduation rate or chronic absenteeism metrics to report. Those measures apply to high schools, not to a middle school.
The district did pass a voter-approved operating budget override in late 2024, funding teacher and staff pay, special education, arts, music, physical education, class size management, and extracurricular activities. The district also adopted a 2024-2029 strategic plan built around student achievement, school culture, operations, and community engagement. These are recent public commitments, though it will take time to see how they translate into classroom outcomes at the middle school level.
Housing in the area is priced above the state median, with home values showing a slight year-over-year decline and rent holding steady. Affordability is a stretch for many households, given that mortgage costs exceed typical rent payments in the area. Families moving here should expect a suburban, car-dependent environment with a growing school system and a middle school where state test results indicate that most students are not yet scoring proficient. The school's size and demographic mix are typical for a fast-growing exurban community, and the recent district investments signal an intention to strengthen programming and staffing. A family choosing this school will want to ask about the specific academic interventions and enrichment the school offers, especially in math and literacy, where the proficiency numbers suggest room for growth.
See more original research from School Decision →